Life By Coupons

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Saturday, November 28, 2015

I don't know about you, but with all the Black Friday money spent, I just wanted a few things for FREE today. :)

Here are some (I think) awesome Free Ebooks. Please take a second to verify that these are still free before purchasing as Amazon reserves the right to change their pricing at any time without notice.

Are you tired of complicated recipes with hard-to-find ingredients? Are you looking for delicious and easy recipes with only a few simple ingredients? 60+ EASY RECIPES IN 5 INGREDIENTS OR LESS!

This SIMPLE and DELICIOUS cookbook has step-by-step recipes that are easy to follow and simply prepared. All of the recipes only require 5 ingredients or less! No more looking for hard-to-find ingredients that you'll only use once.

I am a coloring book addict. LOL It honestly relieves a lot of stress for me. If you haven't tried it out yet, use this free book to try it out... and get in the holiday spirit at the same time!!

The man who owns all he wants for the living of all the life he is capable of living is rich; and no man who has not plenty of money can have all he wants. Life has advanced so far, and become so complex, that even the most ordinary man or woman requires a great amount of wealth in order to live in a manner that even approaches completeness. Every person naturally wants to become all that they are capable of becoming; this desire to realize innate possibilities is inherent in human nature; we cannot help wanting to be all that we can be. Success in life is becoming what you want to be; you can become what you want to be only by making use of things, and you can have the free use of things only as you become rich enough to buy them.

Saturday, November 2, 2013

We see it all the time- sweeteners that aren't sugar. Somehow white sugar has become bad for us over the past few decades. I don't buy into that malarky, (I'll post my opinion of that at a later date) but there are tons of people out there buying this:

and these...

when in truth, no matter where you live, it's possible to grow and process your own version of these sweeteners for way cheaper; even after your coupons!!

Growing your own, you can guarantee that it's 100% real stevia, not some chemically enhanced concoction that the big companies want you to believe it better for you.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

If you all are like me, then you were all over the free Healthy Living bread at Kroger this week. I honestly wish I had gotten more coupons for this sale, but my paper budget is limited lately.

I have a bad habit of not using a lot of bread. I know, and I really hate throwing out good bread to the compost pile. True, my garden loves it, but to me it's like shredded up paper money and taking it out to the compost bin!! *Pulling out hair*

So, with the free bread sitting in my pantry, I'm coming up with ways to use it up without letting it go to waste.

So I brainstormed.

And brainstormed..

And had my "Eureka!" moment.

Remember all those Kraft Singles we got a while back? Yep, I still have some in my freezer.
So I popped them out to thaw for a day and then got to work. :)

Grilled cheese for in the freezer!!

Just make your grilled cheese like you would any other time, but lay them out on a cooling rack. Once they are cooled, wrap them individually in plastic wrap or foil. Then pop them all into a gallon or two gallon size baggie. Voila!

When you or someone in the family wants grilled cheese, pull them out of the wrap, place them on a microwave safe plate, and zap them for about 30 seconds. (The times will vary based on your microwave. I have two microwaves and one takes 30 seconds; the other takes about 40.)

Easy as pie and makes a simple dinner with some tomato soup!!

Try this out for yourself and let me know how it goes! I'd love to hear your thoughts or your ideas for other things to make and freeze using up the free bread we all got!!

Friday, January 11, 2013

We all know to protect our computers from spam and viruses by not clicking on unknown links or unsafe sites, but now, since technology is getting more advanced in our phones, hackers and other scammers are attacking our phones as well. This new way to attack us is called "smishing".
Have a smartphone or considering purchasing one? Here's some things you will want to be aware of before you become a victim.

If you get a text that’s unsolicited or from an unidentifiable source, protect yourself with these tips:

If the message appears to be from a legitimate source, contact that
source’s main phone number—not the number provided in the text—and
verify. Legitimate businesses, such as banks, do not send out texts that
elicit a response.

Delete messages from unknown sources without reading.

Do not click on links or download apps from an unverified source.

Never provide sensitive information to an unverified texter.

Avoid messages that appear to come from the number 5000. This may be
an identity that hides a scammer’s real number. The message may have no
number at all.

Add security software to your mobile phone.

Look into setting up a “text alias.” This cell phone feature hides your actual phone number from the smishing sender.

Contact your phone provider and alert it to the messages you’ve been receiving.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

I love saving money, but when you stop and read what some of these products contain, it makes you think, "Even if the price is free, what cost is my family paying to have me using these products in my home?" Especially when there are so many non-toxic alternatives that are also cost-efficient!! I'm posting a link to a list of safer, homemade household cleaners at the end of this post. So, continute reading and prepare to be shocked at what big business is peddling to us!!

Simple Green Concentrated All-Purpose Cleaner

Perhaps one of the worst because it undeservedly boasts the title
“green”, this all-purpose cleaner from Simple Green contains
2-butoxyethanol, a solvent known to damage red blood cells and irritate
eyes. Despite its “non-toxic” claims on its labeling, this all-purpose
cleaner also contains a secret blend of alcohol ethoxylate surfactants;
some chemicals in this family are banned in the European Union.

Even worse, the EWG notes that the company website instructs the user to significantly dilute
this product when cleaning. Actually, Simple Green calls it “custom
dilute,” as if it’s some fabulous product feature. Yet, the cleaner is
packaged in a spray bottle that implies it can be used full strength,
which means possible higher exposure to the toxic chemicals in this
product. Awful.

Despite its cheery cartoon scrub brush mascot, Scrubbing Bubbles
bathroom and shower cleaners should do anything but bring a smile to
your eco-loving face. These products contain chemicals banned in the
European Union including DEGBE, which can irritate and inflame the
lungs. The European Union bans this chemical in household cleaners in
concentrations above 3 percent. These products contain up to 10 percent.

EASY-OFF Heavy Duty Oven Cleaner Aerosol Spray

Besides dissolving the gunk in your oven, the chemicals in this
cleaner can also burn your skin and eyes. The label says as much. It
advises users to avoid eyes, skin, mucous membranes and clothing. On top
of that you should also wear long gloves when using it, avoid breathing
in the mist, use only with adequate ventilation and do not ingest it.
Something so dangerous has no place in the your eco-home.

Target’s Up & Up Cleaners

Unlike food, cosmetics and drugs, ingredient labels are not required
for cleaning products. Some companies choose to include their
ingredients because of consumer pressure—others do not, including,
Target’s Up & Up brand cleaners. This brand’s toilet bowl cleaner
and glass and surface wipes list no ingredients whatsoever. Other
cleaners in its line of products list only one or two ingredients, or
use vague terms. Hiding something, eh?

Lysol Disinfectant Power Toilet Bowl Cleaner with Lime & Rust Remover

You know many household cleaners on the market pose serious health
hazards, but what about death? This toilet bowl cleaner from Lysol even
states on the label that it is “harmful or fatal if swallowed”. The
label also suggests wearing safety goggles as a bit of this acidic
concoction can cause “irreversible damage” to eyes. So not worth a clean
toilet.

Ajax, Dynamo and Fab Ultra Liquid Laundry Detergents

How does mixing in a little formaldehyde into your washer full of
laundry sound? That’s what you do if you use any of these Phoenix Brands
detergents. As a known human carcinogen at its worst, formaldehyde has
also been found to cause asthma and allergies. The company only lists
this information on the product as a technical disclosure for workers.

Comet Disinfectant Cleanser Powder

One hundred forty-six: that’s the number of chemicals the EWG found
in this common household toilet cleaner. Some of the chemicals are known
to cause cancer, asthma and reproductive disorders. The most toxic of
the chemicals found, including formaldehyde, benzene, chloroform and
toluene, are not listed on the label. The EWG states that little is
known about the health hazards of most of the hidden chemicals.

Citra-Solv Cleaner & Degreaser

Even though some cleaners contain ingredients derived from plants
instead of petroleum, that doesn’t mean they’re safe. Case in point:
this cleaner and degreaser is made from d-limonene and orange oils from
citrus peels. Sounds innocent, but when sprayed into the air these oils
can react with trace levels of ozone air pollution to form ultra-fine
particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs.

Many of these brand name spray cleaners are laced with ingredients
that cause asthma, including quaternary ammonium compounds or
ethanolamine. These chemicals can trigger asthma attacks and even cause
new cases of the disease. These products essentially spray these
dangerous chemicals directly into your home’s air.

DampRid Mildew Stain Remover Plus Blocker

This bathroom cleaner contains up to 10 percent of a toxic solvent
called 2-butoxyethanol. Canada only allows this chemical’s use in
non-aerosol cleaners up to 6 percent. As if that wasn’t enough of a
hazardous toxin for one cleaning product, this product also includes
nonylphenol ethoxylate, a chemical prohibited in cleaners in the
European Union.